Palmer v. Trump Model Management, LLC
Plaintiff Alexia Palmer filed a putative class action against Trump Model Management, LLC, its president Corinne Nicolas, and CEO John or Jane Doe, alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), alongside state law claims. Palmer claimed Defendants lured foreign models with false promises, lied to the federal government for H-1B visas, and cheated models out of pay, including herself, paying her only $3,880.75 for three years of work despite a promised annual salary of $75,000. Defendants moved to dismiss the complaint. The court granted the motion, dismissing the FLSA claim for failure to allege sufficient hours worked, and the RICO claim because the INA provides exclusive administrative remedies for alleged visa application misrepresentations. The state law claims were dismissed without prejudice, as the court declined supplemental jurisdiction after dismissing all federal claims.